Tell everybody I'm on my way
by LadyNightRunner
Summary: Yugi has had enough of being ignored. Since Yami got his own body, Yugi has been slowly growing farther away from the gang. He runs away, makes a new life for himself. Status: Chapter 12 has been revised.
1. Prologue

Summary:Yugi has had enough of being ignored. Since Yami got his own body, Yugi has been slowly growing farther away from the gang. He runs away, to Sacramento California, and meets up with another runaway, Samantha. Years go by,and now Yugi's BACK in Domino, sporting a totally new look and a heart of his own,and he's ready to rock Yami's world right down tothe foundations! 

Why the title? It fits. Here's the other inspiration, and it explains why Samantha sticks with Yugi through all the hard times:

_Look, look, look to the rainbow_

_Follow it over the hill and stream_

_Look, look, look to the rainbow_

_Follow the fellow who follows a dream!_

* * *

"Hey, did you hear what Yami did last week?"

"Who cares?" That was the way it was each day. Yami this, Yami that. The story of his life for the past three years. Did anyone even pay attention to _him_ anymore? No. Were they really even his friends? No. How long had it been anyway? Two, no, two and a half years. There they were now, sitting in the shade of the small group of trees that had once been laughingly nicknamed 'Yugi's thinking place.' Now, it was theirs, and he never went there to think, or to ride out a storm in the uppermost branches of the tallest tree, trying to find a new source of excitement to replace the excitement supplied only by winning a duel. He never dueled now, nobody wanted to duel with Yugi, nobody wanted to duel the Game King's hikari. Now, as the flood of students bore him out the gates in their midst, unnoticed and stepped on, he made up his mind. The bus ride home was spent in quiet thought. He entered the house through the back door, since his grandfather wasn't home right now. No, he was at a gaming convention, most likely bragging about Yami, and how proud he was of him. It was as if Yugi had never existed.

_Let's see…Only important things…Clothes, check. Account number, check. Wallet, check. Dueling deck, check. The Puzzle…should I even bring it? Yes, just to hurt him. He can't use it to try and find me, and I have a reminder of what I _used_ to be, before _he_ came along and ruined my life. Oops, can't forget my ticket! Goodbye letter, check. That's it. Okay. _Yugi left through the front door to the shop. He was supposed to watch it this afternoon. Oh well, it didn't matter. He hailed a taxi. "The airport."

That had been an hour and a half ago. He now stood in the center of the terminal, confused by the signs and people surrounding him. There, Gate B26! The short sixteen year-old hurried over and occupied an empty chair. Now that he knew where he was supposed to be, he could relax. Not that he relaxed for long. _'We are now boarding flight 462. Passengers in seats 35 through 30, please board now.' _Yugi got up fast, and proceeded, rather nervously, to the line. His nerves didn't calm even a bit until he was walking down the ramp and onto the plane. This posed another problem. He was certain, deep down in the pit of his stomach, that one of the gang was going to pop up when he wasn't expecting it, to haul him home again. Well, he wasn't going back there. Not now. There it was, Seat 31A, a window seat. There was someone in Seat 31B, a girl about his age who politely curled her legs up onto the seat so he could get past. He did so, settling down nervously into his seat. He sat very still as the plane took off, and breathed a sigh of relief when they were out over the water. There was no possible way that anyone could get him now. They couldn't track him, couldn't follow.

"So, where are you headed?" the girls voice made him jump. Up until now, she'd just been a silent figure, apparently content to just sit. (Yugi couldn't help but fidget. After all, he'd never been on a plane before now.)

"The US." He said vaguely. Who knew, perhaps she was working with Yami.

"Of course you are. If you were going somewhere else, then you are _definitely_ on the wrong flight. The last time I checked, this _is_ the nonstop flight." There was no mockery in her voice, just a hint of amusement. Yugi sighed.

"San Juan HIgh." He mumbled.

"Cool. That's where I'm headed. Are you meeting someone? Family, friends, something like that?"

"No. And if I do, I'm not having anything to do with them."

"Ouch. I'm not going to ask what _that_ was about. I'm not either. On my own. Shall we stick together?"

"Sure." Yugi said, relived to have found an ally.

"Great. I'm Samantha. Call me Sam."

"Yugi." The boy responded.

"Well, Yugi. You should get some sleep. You look like death warmed over." Yugi smiled, and obeyed. It seemed he'd have a companion on what was surely going to be a very rocky road to a new life.


	2. The Warning

Yami got home late that night, having been off at a late movie with the gang. He was a bit confused when the shop came in sight and all lights were off, the 'Open' sign still in the window but the door locked. He entered through the back, fully expecting to find his hikari waiting impatiently in the living room. When he wasn't there, Yami assumed that Yugi had gone to bed. He opened the door, saw that there was nobody in the bed, and was surprised to find the lights off, except for the desk light. It alone was lit, casting a brilliant circle of light on an envelope. _Yami_ it said on the front. Yami was beginning to feel worried. Where was Yugi? He tried to reach out with Shadow Magic, but found that there was none inside him. This meant that the Puzzle had been taken. A feeling of sick dread filled him as he searched the room. A good amount of Yugi's clothes were gone, and his deck. Shaking in fear, Yami sat down at the desk and opened the envelope. Visions of a ransom note filled his mind, but were cast out on the winds at the first words on the page.

_Yami,_

_Goodbye, and good riddance. Since you showed up, I've been dumped up on a shelf, and nobody pays any attention to me. You've stolen my friends, claimed everything that I had as your own. It was as if I didn't even exist to you anymore. Well, this must be a wish come true for you then, because I won't be tagging along anymore. I've got the Puzzle, so you can't find me. I'm leaving. Here's a warning: if you try to get Bakura to trace the Puzzle so you can find me, I'll destroy it. You know what that means, don't you? You'll be destroyed along with it. Not that that would be a bad thing. I'm the only one who can rebuild it, so you certainly **wouldn't** be coming back. You just carry on doing what you do so well, living a stolen life. Maybe I'll come back, but if I do, it'll only be to dance on your grave. I'm done living in the shadow of my so-called 'guardian'. I'm not a child, and I don't need a babysitter. I'm gone._

_-Yugi_

"No. _No._ **NO!**" Yami cried. This was a joke, it had to be! He ran downstairs and grabbed the phone, dialing numbers in a panic. Within half an hour, the gang was assembled in the Mutou living room. The letter was passed from hand to hand, read and reread until each one of them knew what had happened. "Bakura! Try to find him!" Yami begged.

"And get yourself killed? Don't do it 'Kura." Ryou snapped.

"PLEASE! I have to find him!"

"Ryou doesn't want me to."

"I don't _care_ if I get destroyed! Yugi can take a _grindstone_ to the Puzzle, for all I care! I have to know!"

"It's a good reason Ryou." Bakura said, and a soft glow surrounded him. Then, a very familiar and _very_ angry voice echoed around the room.

"Apparently, you weren't paying attention to my warning. I'll let you go this time Yami, but _not_ again. I don't _want_ to be found! Here's a little reminder. I hope it _hits_ my point home." All at once, four bolts of brilliant purple light blasted out of the Ring, slamming into Ryou, Marik, Malik, and Yami. They went rigid, mouths open in silent screams as pain coursed through them. The same thing happened to Bakura, only worse, as he was in physical contact with the Ring. The other members of the group could only watch, helpless, as their friends were hurt.

After an eternal five minutes, the five young men collapsed, sobbing in pain and fright.

"Guys? What was that?" Tristan asked.

"It was Yugi." Marik whimpered. "He did it."

"Yugi did _that_?" Joey asked disbelievingly.

"Do you know anyone else who has any connection with Shadow Magic?" Malik countered, struggling to his feet and trying to pull Marik up. He wobbled, and Joey darted over to prevent the two falling over again.

"But, that means we're neva gonna see 'im again." Joey said, lugging Marik to an armchair.

"If that's what he really wants, then maybe we shouldn't try to find him. He could have killed you boys just now, and I'll bet he will next time." Mai commented. Yami curled up in a tiny ball of misery, shaking.

_What have I done?_ He thought. Tears rolled down his cheeks as rain began to fall outside. _What have I done?_


	3. It's all my fault!

Sorry this took so long, but I just couldn't do anythign depressing for a while. Then...well...you get the idea. Enjoy!

* * *

"You'd better call Gramps." Joey said. "Tell 'im what you did." 

"What _I_ did?" Yami retorted.

"Just call him." Mai said, successfully preventing a fight. "Come on Serenity. We'd better get going."

"Huh? Why are we leaving Mai?"

"Because the guys are going to have to settle this on their own."

"Wait! What about me?" Tea asked, standing up.

"_You _were a big part of this, so you have to stay. Later." Mai and Serenity left. They all heard the car pull away. Tea sulked.

"I guess I can't put this off." Yami mumbled, picking up the phone and dialing.

"Hello?"

"Hi Gramps."

"Oh, Yami, it's you. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, something's wrong."

"What? What happened?"

"Yugi ran away."

"Yugi ran…oh no. I'll call you back Yami. I need to think about this." He hung up

"He said he'd call back. I think he needs to let it sink in." Yami said quietly.

"Yeah, and yer gonna be in trouble when he gets back." Joey commented.

"Oh? And why am _I_ in trouble?"

"Hey, he's your hikari. Aren't _you_ the one who's supposed to protect 'im? It certainly wasn't _my_ fault he left."

"Don't be so sure about that. _You're_ the one who promised to _always_ be there for him. You and Tristan." Tea pointed out.

"Don't go pinning this on me!" Tristan yelled indignantly. "You're at fault too! _You_ knew him first! _You_ tried to protect him! You _flirted_ with him, and then _dumped_ him when Yami showed up! It's _your_ fault he left!"

"_My_ fault? I'll show you who's fault it is!" Tea leaped at Tristan. Marik, Malik, Ryou, and Bakura sat and watched.

"Y'know, now I'm really glad we've been so busy 'Kura." Ryou commented.

"I know what you mean." Malik agreed. "Ouch. Tea's using her nails!"

"You think we should break it up?" Marik asked.

"No. They'll get over it." Bakura said. Quickly, he pulled his feet up off the floor as Joey and Yami rolled by, punching for all they were worth. "Actually, I take that back. Let's break it up." The four young men dove into the fray, each picking someone and pinning them, or otherwise preventing them from getting anywhere near anyone else. Then they escorted those who lived elsewhere home, leaving Yami alone.

/Later that Night/ Tea sat on her bed, holding a photo album in her lap. She flipped through it, and then realized something. Yugi was absent from all the pictures that were taken after Yami had arrived. She turned to one certain page. It showed Joey, Tristan, Yami, essentially the founders of their little group, minus Yugi, together at the park. Joey was hanging from a tree. Mai wasn't there either, Tea realized. She had been with Ryou, Marik, and their yami's. And where were they, you ask? With Yugi

Yugi had, Tea recalled, been stuck at home with a nasty stomach flu. There was a time that everyone would have showed up at the Game Shop to cheer him up. But not this time. Instead, they had gone off to goof around at the park and left Yugi alone and miserable at home. He'd begged for someone, _anyone_, to stay with him, but they had all walked out.

Ryou, Marik, Mai, and the yami's had originally come with the others to the park, but had left. _They_ had gone back to Yugi. Mai had headed for the school to pick up Yugi's homework for him shortly after, while the other four remained there. As a result, the four of them had, in turn, come down with Yugi's flu. Yami hadn't stayed with his hikari, and, Tea remembered, _she_ had suggested just leaving.

It's all my fault! Tea thought If I hadn't done all those things…if I had stayed with him all those times he was sick, or depressed! And now he's never coming back! 

/Tristan's house/ Tristan was curled in a tight ball on his bed. His dog hopped up on the bed and licked his ear. Tristan didn't have the heart to make her get off the bed. A harsh memory floated unbidden into his mind…

/Flashback/ "_Hey guys! Wait for me!" Yugi raced after Tristan, Joey, and Yami. Unfortunately, his short legs were no match for the much longer legs of the other three. "Wait!" he got no response from his 'friends'. _

"_Lets see how long he can keep up with us." Tristan whispered. Joey and Yami laughed, and they picked up their pace. After all, it was Yugi's fault that he hadn't gotten out of class sooner. The poor boy never did catch up. He caught his ankle in a storm drain, fell, and ended up at the hospital with a broken ankle. Again, it was Mai, Serenity, and the four boys who comforted him. Mai was the one who took him home after he got it set. Marik took Yugi back, weeks later, to get the cast off, and then out for ice cream to celebrate the removal of the cast. Tristan hadn't even cared. _

_Maybe_ Tristan thought_ if I'd offered to help him out then, if I hadn't gotten the stupid idea of running ahead of Yugi…if I'd waited for him after school that day…would he be gone now?_

Tristan realized that he was crying.

/Joey's Apartment/ Joey was sitting on the couch in the living room, staring out at the storm that had enveloped the city. Lightning flashed, and a nasty voice in the back of Joey's head began berating him.

"_This is all your fault you know. If you'd stuck by him, like you _promised_, he might not have left. Aren't you the greatest friend? You leave someone who allowed someone to beat the living daylight out of him just so you wouldn't get hurt. He's saved your life too many times to count. He's the one who got the money to pay for your sister's operation! Without him, Serenity would be blind. He nearly died doing that, remember? It wasn't Yami, it was _Yugi_. Yugi _forced_ the Red Eyes to attack him so you'd live. He was willing to give up his _life_ so _you'd_ be okay! Not Yami. _**YUGI!**_And _how_ did yourepay him? You ignored him, teased him, and made him feel like he was insignificant! You're lucky he didn't _kill_ himself, you heartless jerk! _**You didn't deserve a friend like him!**"

The voice quieted, after a few choice insults that left Joey in a shivering, sobbing ball. For the first time in his life, Joey Wheeler knew the real meaning of defeat. This time, there would be no getting back up and trying again. There would be no comforting encouragements from Yugi, and no support from the tiny duelist who had been a little beam of sunshine in the darkest places. Joey cried.

/Back at the Game Shop/ Everyone was long gone. Yami was in bed, asleep, and tortured by horrible nightmares. In them, he heard Yugi's words, both from the letter and those from the Ring, over and over again. The words became actual physical blows; breaking bones and drawing blood. The wounds healed up, but the pain remained, and the worst wasn't anything physical. It couldn't be fixed with a bandage or a cast. It was like a bruise on his heart, a throbbing tightness in his chest that had nothing to do with broken ribs. Yugi appeared before him, wearing a satisfied smile. When he spoke, his voice was full of a smugness that made Yami feel sick inside.

"_See Yami? That's what I've been feeling for the past three years. Hurts, doesn't it? Can you feel that tight feeling? Makes it hard to breathe, doesn't it? That's fear, oh great Pharaoh. Can you feel the heaviness? I'll bet you can. That's everything you did to me. Every time you wouldn't help me, you couldn't be bothered. You had more important things to do. Even when my ankle was broken, did you ever bother to help me get up the stairs, or get off the bus? I don't think so. When I was sick, did you offer to get my homework for me? No. You wouldn't even get it for me when I asked, when I begged. My grades dropped. I had to go to school sick because of that, because I couldn't count on you to bring me my work. You didn't care when I was sick, and you were disgusted when I threw up in class. You didn't try to help me. Ryou did, and Marik. They carried me to the nurse's office, and took turns staying with me until after school so Mai could take me home. When I got shoved down the stairs in the Science Wing, who picked me up? It was Malik. He called Bakura, and then took me home while Bakura told my teachers and got my work. Then you came home and told me I should have been more careful. You didn't care that I could have died! Malik got detention for leaving the school without permission. You didn't even care. If I _had_ died, you probably wouldn't even have noticed. You still would've gone out to the movies with your _friends_."_

Giggling, Yugi walked over to Yami, who found himself unable to move. He drew back his fist. Yami tried to tell him not to do it, tried to say that he was sorry. All that could be heard was a high-pitched whining. Since talking didn't work, Yami tried to reason with Yugi through their mind-link. It was no good. This was the real nightmare: the thought that Yugi would turn against him. Yugi's fist made sudden, painful connection with Yami's stomach. The Game King woke up with a start, leaped out of bed, ran down the hallway to the bathroom, and was sick…

* * *

Somewhere over the ocean, a plane flew. And in that plane, Yugi slept peacefully, with someone watching over him. For the first time in three years, he was happy.

* * *

!

* * *

Okay, quick note here. In THIS case, it's not actually Yugi, but a combination of Yami's worst fear and his rather overreactive imagination. Yugi's not actually happy hitting Yami, it's just that Yami is mortally terrified that someone or somehing will turn Yugi against him. Since he's already lost his hikari, the other fear, the only one left is that Yugi will be killed. Never fear, I'm not that cruel. 

I'll update soon! Some stuff should be getting more fun, on Yugi's side anyway. Most our Domino freinds will be staying in a cloud of doom and gloom for awhile. CAIO!


	4. Where are you?

Heya! Sorry it took so long to update this, but I've been rediculously busy. I promise to get more of this up ASAP and We'll get back to Yugi and his new freind soon. until then... NUMARIE!

* * *

Chaos reigned the next morning. The gang seemed to have been split right down the middle, with Ryou, Marik, Malik, Bakura, Mai, and Serenity on one side, while Tristan, Joey, Tea, and Yami remained on the other side. There were only two who remained in a neutral state: Kaiba and Duke. Kaiba had never taken an interest in his rival's home and school-life, and Duke had been too busy to participate at all, his work consuming even his crush on Serenity. Duke knew about Yugi's disappearance before school, because Ryou had called him the night before, explaining the situation and cautioning him to 'keep mum' about the whole thing until the office was notified. And under _no_ circumstances was Duke to attempt to find Yugi. The results of such actions could be catastrophic.

Rumors began to circulate at lunch. It didn't take much to start them. Yami sat in a corner of the cafeteria with the remaining three members of his group. It seemed that they had been evicted from their usual place outside, under an ancient willow tree behind the art wing. Of the four, Tea was the only one who seemed even remotely normal. True, she looked as though she hadn't slept a wink, but other than that, nothing seemed amiss. She ate her lunch, chattering about random subjects even though nobody was listening, and fussing with her hair and clothes. The boys were another story. Yami sat staring at his half-eaten lunch, ignoring the world around him. Tristan and Joey were arguing over something, their lunches lying forgotten on the table. All three of them looked exhausted, were moody, and ready for a fight. This last was true even for Tea, because she landed herself in detention later that afternoon for attacking another girl, who had just asked if she was all right.

As for the others…they were outside, underneath the willow, huddled together and whispering. Serenity and Mai looked as though they had been crying, and Mai wore none of her usual makeup. Bakura and Malik seemed oddly tame, sitting next to their hikaris and participating in the soft conversation. Neither one of them was loud, rude, energetic, or up to something as they usually were. Whatever was going on, it had the opposite effect on Ryou. The pale youth was high-strung and nervous, speaking quickly and sometimes louder than necessary, though the others were quick to silence him when this happened. Marik was an entirely different story. He slumped against the trunk of the willow, half hidden by the others. He seemed to droop, ignoring his lunch, even when ordered to eat. Everything about him appeared dull. His hair looked almost grayish, and he was pale under his tan. His lavender eyes were dull and lifeless. Together, the six didn't project what could be called an air of happiness. Quite the opposite really.

Kaiba watched this all day, and began piecing together the bits of information he had during his chemistry class. "Let's see…Yugi's little posse has split up. Yugi's not here. One half of his cheer squad is sulking in the cafeteria or picking a fight with anyone, while the other half is outside, planning something." (Kaiba had found that it was easier to try understanding Yugi and his friends if he talked to himself while he did it.) "Yugi must have run away." Now, the only thing he had to do was test his theory.

/After school/ "Mokuba, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure Seto. What do you need me to do?"

"Go over to Marik's house, and ask him what's happened to Yugi. Make sure he doesn't know that _I'm _asking, or he might not tell you anything. Got it?"

"Yes, but why are you asking about Yugi?"

"Because something strange is going on, and I'm going to find out what. Get going. I want you back before dark."

"Okay." Mokuba pulled on a jacket and left. Kaiba flopped down on the couch in his office. Without Joey and Co to drive him bonkers, he'd been bored all day. Being bored made him sleepy. He had time for a nap before Mokuba came back…

/Marik's house/ Mokuba rang the doorbell. He heard footsteps, and then Ishizu opened the door. She smiled when she saw who it was. "Good afternoon Mokuba."

"Hi Ishizu. Is Marik home?"

"He is. He's up in his room. Do you want me to get him?"

"No thanks. I'll go up to him." Mokuba headed up the stairs, and down the hall to the door on the end. Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into it announced to anyone who could read them that this was Marik's room. Mokuba knocked.

"Who is it?" A soft voice inquired from within.

"It's Mokuba. Can I come in?"

"Sure. The door's unlocked." Mokuba opened the door and slipped inside. The room on the other side was a mess, almost as if its owner had thrown a fit. Marik was sprawled on his bed, face down.

"Hi Marik." Mokuba said. When he got no response, he shook the blonde's shoulder. "I said hi."

"Hi." Marik mumbled, rolling over to look at Mokuba.

"Are you okay? You look awful."

"No Mokuba, I'm not okay. Thanks for asking though."

"What's wrong?"

"Its just … I…nothing Mokuba. It's nothing." Marik's voice cracked, and he turned away from the boy beside him. Mokuba climbed up onto the bed and sat beside Marik. He remained silent for a moment, trying to decide how to do this. Marik was one of his best friends, and he didn't want to make him upset, but his big brother had acted as if this was important. Finally, he spoke.

"Does this have anything to do with Yugi?"

"Wh-what do you know about that?"

"About what?" Mokuba asked innocently.

"About Yugi being…y'know…"

"Out of town?"

"He's not out of…he isn't…I mean…" Marik trailed off.

"Marik, what's going on? I haven't seen Yugi for almost a week, and Seto said he wasn't at school when I asked." This was true, sort of. He _hadn't_ seen Yugi for over a week now, and he _had_ asked about Yugi… just not where Yugi _was_.

"I don't think I can…I'm not supposed to…"

"_Please_?" Mokuba begged. "I really want to know, Marik. He's my friend too." That did it. Marik burst into tears.

"Yugi's gone!" he wailed. "He ran away, and he said that he won't come back! He's the first one of them who accepted me as a friend, and now he's…gone. Just like that…"

When Mokuba got him to calm down, Marik told him everything he knew. By the time he had finished, it was getting dark. Mokuba thanked Marik, assured him that Yugi wouldn't forget him, and ran all the way home.

/The Kaiba household, after dinner/ Seto sat at his desk, staring off into space. Mokuba sat on the other side of the desk, waiting. He'd just finished telling his brother everything that was relevant to Seto's original request. This, of course, did _not_ include Marik's breaking down, nor did it mention why Marik was so upset.

"Tell me if I've gotten something wrong Mokuba. Yugi's run away to who-knows-where, doesn't want any of his gang to attempt tracking him, and threatened to destroy the Millennium Puzzle, and thus kill Yami. Am I right?"

"Uh-huh. That's everything."

"I was right. He _did_ run away. I just didn't think he was so serious about it."

"Seto?"

"Mmmm?"

"Can _we _try to find him?"

"Mokuba, I may not like Yami, but I don't want to be responsible for my rival's death. Even _if_ I didn't kill him directly."

"But he was only referring to using the Millennium Ring to find him. He won't know if _we_ do it. Please Seto? He never did anything to you, and he's always been nice to me, and I'm gonna _miss_ him."

"Do I _have_ to?" Seto asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes." Mokuba said firmly. "We have to find him." Seto sighed.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you Seto!"

"But not 'til tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Go to bed." Mokuba went. Once he was gone, Seto got online.

_Where would I go if I was running away? Out of the country, that's for sure. Okay. I'll run a search on all flights that went out yesterday. _The computer hummed softly, sifting through the passenger lists on a multitude of outgoing flights.

/Nearly an hour later/ An ear-piercing beep announced the final result of the search. It had taken longer than Seto had expected. After determining that Yugi had taken a flight out of Domino Airport to Tokyo Narita Airport, he had to find the miniature duelist's name on the ridiculous amount of passenger lists. Finally, here it was. Seto smiled. Yugi had picked a good one. He'd flown out of Tokyo at 5:00pm yesterday, on a nonstop flight to San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California. His flight was scheduled to arrive at 8:55am, and he had then caught a second flight at 11:30am to Sacramento International Airport, scheduled to arrive at 12:13pm. From there, his name vanished from the passenger lists on any flight going out of Sacramento. That must be where he was staying. Just to check, Seto ran a search of the local high schools, and found the name _Yugi Mutou_ on a registration list at San Juan High School. Satisfied that Yugi wasn't going any farther, Seto went to bed.

/Morning/ Mokuba came running into Seto's bedroom at precisely 5:00am the next morning. "Seto! GetupgetupgetupgetUP! We have to find Yugi!" Seto groaned. It was much too early to be getting up on a Saturday morning.

"Mokuba, what _time_ is it?"

"5 o'clock."

"Good grief! Go away, and come get me in three hours."

"But SETO! You have to _GET UP_!"

"_Mokubaaaaaa…"_

"Come ON!"

"More sleep thank you." Seto muttered, rolling over and burying his face in his pillow. Mokuba glared at his brother for a moment, then went back to the door. Seto, not really paying attention, assumed that Mokuba had left, rolled back onto his back, relaxed, and forgot all about him. Bad idea. Mokuba got a running start from the hallway, charged into the bedroom at full speed, and took a running leap that landed him squarely on Seto's stomach.

"**GET UP!"**

"No." Seto wheezed, attempting (and failing) to eject Mokuba from the room without getting out of bed.

"But we have to find Yugi!"

"I already did."

"**_WHAT?_"**

"I found his flight on the computer last night. He's in the US. Sacramento, California, San Juan High School, to be exact."

"But you _said_ we'd look _today_."

"I decided to look last night. If I'd known that you were getting me up _this_ early, I'd have told you."

"You're the best!"

"Yes, I know. Now let me sleep."

"Okay. Thanks Seto. Seto?" No good. The brunette was out like a light.


	5. Good Morning

Yugi rolled over in bed and stared at the ceiling. After he realized that it wasn't his ceiling that he was staring at, it took him a few minutes to remember where he was. _Where in the world?…Oh yeah, I remember! Me an' Samantha got off the plane in Sacramento and found a hotel. Which means that she should be somewhere…_ He rolled over and looked at the bed beside his. The blankets were all over the bed, so he knew that she'd been here until recently. He rolled over to the other side of the bed, too warm and comfortable to get up, and looked out the window. It was still dark outside.

"G'morning." Yugi turned back toward Samantha's bed. She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel and a smile. Yugi blushed and looked away.

"Morning." He answered. "What time is it?"

"About 4:30 AM." She said, crouching down beside her luggage and digging around in a duffle bag. "D'you want the shower?"

"Yeah, thanks." Yugi climbed out of bed and went to shower. Once he'd closed the bathroom door, he allowed himself to relax. He'd done it! He'd gotten away from everything that had hurt, and he'd already found a friend. It had been a little weird to see her like that, just wearing a towel, but…he didn't mind too much.

When he got out of the shower, he found Samantha lying on her stomach on her bed, watching a movie.

"Care to join me?" she asked, gesturing at the TV.

"Sure. What are you watching?"

"Fantastic Four. There're some other movies on, if you want to switch it."

"This is fine." Yugi said, sitting on the bed beside her and starting to comb his hair. They watched in silence for a while, until a commercial break came on. Then Sam rolled over to face him.

"So, why did you pick Sacramento?"

"What?"

"There are thousands of places to go on this planet, and hundreds of them are here in the US. Why did you pick Sacramento? Why not Alaska, or Wyoming, or Canada, or Mexico? Why not Russia, England, or Africa? Why here?"

"Because they won't think to look for me here. Whenever we talked about places we wanted to see…I picked somewhere that none of us ever mentioned."

"Who's _they_?"

"Everybody." Yugi mumbled, suddenly becoming fascinated with the carpet. "All of them."

"Parents?"

"No. Grandpa, and Tea and the others. My parents are dead."

"I see. I'm sorry Yugi. I know what it's like to lose parents."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. Just remember…I'll listen when you feel like talking."

"Thanks." Silence reigned through the next segment of movie, and then Yugi spoke up again. "So…what's the plan?"

"Plan?"

"We're here, and we're going to be starting at San Juan High next Monday. Other than that, what are we doing? We certainly can't stay in a hotel until we graduate."

"House hunting. Or apartment hunting. Whatever. We've got eight days to find a place, even if it's only a temporary base 'til we find a permanent home."

"Any particular places in mind?"

"Somewhere relatively close to the school. Somewhere along a bus route, if possible. How does that sound?"

"Good. Where do we start?"

"We wait until about 7:30, get breakfast, and check the phone book for real estate agents. After that, we get a list of places that fit our needs, and get looking."

"Sounds fine." The rest of the movie was watched in companionable silence. Samantha produced a couple of granola bars and a bag of gummy bears from her luggage, and those served as a snack before breakfast. (Remember, they're up at 4:30!)

/Three and a half hours and two orders of pancakes later/ Sam and Yugi were back upstairs, browsing through the phone book, an open map spread out beside the phone book. They'd compiled a list of real estate agents they wanted to check out, complete with addresses, phone numbers, and hours of business.

The next thing they did was head for the rental car, equipped with a map and the list. Operation New Home was underway.


	6. Knight in Shining Armor

Sorry it took so long! I just started work, and we got two horses this week, so...you get the idea. Special thanks goes out to 'stina and Joru for being inspirational, and to my mother for helping when I got stuck. The first person who figures out what the screennnames mean will get input in an upcoming chapter, and a chapter dedicated to them.Numarie!

* * *

/Wednesday- Domino City- Kaiba Corp/ If you looked into the office of Seto Kaiba, you would have seen a tall brunette in front of a computer, typing away and referring to a pile of print-outs. One would assume that he was hard at work, busy with running his company. What he was actually doing was searching for Yugi. Sacramento was a big city, and trying to find one person there was difficult. Still, he was having some luck. He'd found a real estate agent that had Yugi's name on their list of possible clients. (Seto had been hacking into every major real estate agent and apartment website he could find) 

Seto was pretty sure he knew what Yugi was doing. Wherever Yugi's name appeared, a girl named Samantha was right beside it. Seto had a feeling that they were house-hunting. And he had already come up with a plan to help.

/Friday- Sacramento- Yugi and Samantha's room- 9:32am/ Someone knocked on the door. Samantha answered it, and came back inside carrying an envelope.

"What is it?" Yugi asked.

"Dunno. Whatever it is, it's addressed to you. Open it." She handed it to Yugi, who took it. The envelope was addressed to him in a neat, though somewhat sharp, hand.

"Who could have known that I'm here?" Yugi mused. He opened the envelope and removed a single sheet of paper. He read the letter once, then paled, and sat down very hard on the bed.

"What is it?" Sam shrieked. "What!"

_To the true King of Games, _

_I was sorry to discover that you had left the country, but I had the good fortune to locate your present whereabouts. I hate to see a legend vanish into thin air, more so in a country far from home. I assume that you are in the market for new living space, and thought that you might require some assistance in that field. There is also the matter of funds to support you and the companion I assume you have found. I propose an exchange: I will provide housing and assist in supporting you, and you will continue to game. Perhaps you will return to the glory you deserve someday. That day cannot come soon enough._

_If you agree to this exchange, contact me at the e-mail address below. I await your reply. Sam whispered. "Do you recognize the e-mail address?" _

"No."

"Was there a return address?"

"No again. Whoever sent this doesn't want me to know who they are."

"Are you going to respond?"

"Yeah. It seems like a good deal. There's a cyber café down the road, I'll go there."

"Now?"

"Mm-hm."

"Don't get lost." Sam teased. Yugi threw a pillow at her. She had an incredible sense of direction, while he continuously got lost. When they were wandering the city, she navigated. The last time he had, they'd been lost for nearly two hours.

"I won't. I'll be back in…an hour, 'kay?"

"Sure. I'll be down at the pool." Sam swam a lot. Yugi nodded.

"Bye." Yugi grabbed his wallet and the letter, pulled on his shoes, and left. Down three floors and out the front doors, then take a right turn and go for two blocks. It was a small building, with the computers set back away from the windows to minimize glare. Each computer was in its own little space, with delicate partitions between them to preserve privacy. Yugi smiled slightly. It was quiet and there weren't many people around. Perfect.

/Ten minutes later/ Yugi had decided to enjoy a cup of coffee before getting to work. Now, he was settled at the computer in the farthest corner from the door, enjoying an excellent view of the front door and counter.

_Now let's see…I'll need a new e-mail address. Can't let them find me with the old one. Hotmail looks good. Where is it…there it is. '_click' (Sign up now)_ Screen name…um…what should I use? I know… do it._

/Domino City- Saturday- 2:47am/ Seto was still at his computer, busily reading up on all the information he could find on Sacramento. If Yugi sent a positive response, then he would need to know everything about the city Yugi lived in. Suddenly, a little pop-up appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen. _'You have one new message'_ it said. Seto clicked on it, and his hotmail inbox appeared. Sure enough, there was a new message in it. 'Reply to Letter' from The name made Seto smile.

"_Awaygame_ huh? Appropriate. Let's see what you've got to say…"

_Kingsideknight, _

_Thank you for the offer. My roommate and I have decided to accept. Obviously, you already know where we are, so I have a favor to ask. Please do not continue to deliver messages to us through the mail. I don't want to be found, and I don't think my roommate does either. _

_As you requested, I will continue to game. I will not, however, enter into any tournaments or public conventions. I'm sure you understand why. My appearance is rather…unique, and I'm easy to spot in a crowd._

_We don't need much to get by, but what we really need is a place to stay. We can only stay at the hotel for so long. Thank you for helping._

Seto laughed softly. _Good answer Yugi._


	7. Enter the Dark Magician

Okay y'all, here's another chapter of the ever popular TEIOMW. Sorry it took so long, I just got stuck. ENJOY!

* * *

In less than a week, KingSideKnight, aka Seto Kaiba, had gotten Yugi and Samantha settled in a quiet apartment in a nice neighborhood. It was close enough to the high school to be practical, but far enough to be comfortable. They seemed pleased with it. Now, Seto could get down to business…

/Domino City- Domino High-Three weeks later/ The school was buzzing. Yami Mouto had accepted a duel, the first one he hadn't turned down since Yugi had vanished. It was after school, behind the gym. The challenger was a senior called Seiji. He was a good duelist, but preferred not to get into major tournaments. His friends had dared him to challenge the famous Game King. It was just random chance that he had been the one Yami accepted.

Ten minutes. That was how long the duel lasted, from start to finish. To say that it was more of a slaughter than a duel was close to accurate. Those who had come to watch were in shock. Seiji had won. Yami sat with his head bowed, running his thumb over the Dark Magician. Seiji walked around to Yami, and held out a hand.

"Good game." He said. Yami looked up at him, and Seiji saw that Yami's eyes were an unusually dark shade of red, and they looked almost…tearful? Yami got to his feet and trudged off towards home without acknowledging Seiji's hand. Nobody knew that, after Yami got home, he locked himself in his room and cried himself into a restless sleep full of nightmares.

After that, Yami's popularity at school took a major plunge. Rumors began to spread, most of them concerning Yugi's disappearance and Yami's connection to it. Some said that Yami had chased Yugi away, or killed him, or found some other way to get the short duelist out of the picture for good. Others said that Yami had lost because Yugi wasn't there, which was true.

Yami also fell out of favor with his Duel Monsters. They knew the truth of what had happened, and had spread the word to everyone they knew. Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragons were pleased to announce their wielder's involvement in Yugi's new life, and were all in favor of giving Yami a good stomp the next time he ventured into the Shadow Realm. The Celtic Guardian discouraged this, however, saying that then Kaiba would be blamed, and that wouldn't be a good thing. After some discussion, all agreed on staying out of the way unless involvement was necessary. Many of them were experienced in walking in dreams, and intended to keep an eye on Yugi that way. And, of course, there was also the probable need to straighten the Pharaoh out, assuming he kept acting the way he was.

Several days later, Yami summoned the Dark Magician to his bedroom. Mahaddo had never seen the room such a mess.

"Mahaddo…can you find Yugi?" Ah. That was why he'd been summoned. He picked his way across the floor and stood in front of Yami, who was slumped on the bed.

"I can't. Pharaoh, he's not coming back."

"He _has _to come back. I can't…I don't know what to do without him here. I miss him…we all do. Mahaddo, I know what I did wrong. I have to tell him! I have to!" The Dark Magician sighed.

"I can't find him. He doesn't want to return, and frankly, I think it may be good for him."

"_Good for him? _Mahaddo, how can running away and making sure he can't be found be _good _for him? He could be lost, or dead, or…or…" Yami yelled. He got to his feet, fists clenched, but all it took was a gentle shove from Mahaddo to put him back on the bed.

"Pharaoh, I would know if he'd died, and so would you. He just has to learn how to fend for himself…find out who he really is. He _is _his own person, and perhaps one of the reasons he left was because he was always hidden in your shadow. He began to be nothing more than your 'brother', not the gaming prodigy he is in his own right. There have been times where a duel might not have been won if it hadn't been for him, you know that as well as I. Now he will be able to grow to his full potential. Even if he never returns…he will be happy."

"But I won't be." Yami murmured. "My world revolved around him and I didn't even notice…and now that I know, he's not here and my world is falling apart. I don't know what to do anymore." Mahaddo smiled and sat down on the bed beside his Pharaoh, who leaned against him. Same old Pharaoh…when you can't figure something out, call Mahaddo and talk it out with him.

"You should let him go. Didn't you always tell him that you would be there for him?" Yami nodded slowly. "Sometimes being there for someone doesn't mean always being right beside them and protecting them from the world. I think this is one of the times that it is better for you to go on living the life you have and allow him to create a new life for himself wherever he chose to go. If he really is in any danger, we will know, and we'll tell you." The Dark Magician patted Yami's shoulder gently, then pushed him off and pinned him to the bed with his staff. "Understood?"

"Understood." Yami answered, struggling to get the staff off.

"Good. Now quit this silly sulking. Your grades are falling, your room is an incredible mess, you haven't talked to your friends in days, and you haven't eaten." He paused and used the blade end of his staff to open a hole between Yami's bedroom and the Shadow Realm. The Celtic Guardian stepped through. "Celtic and I are going to start working in here. You go shower, eat, and get your royal behind back up here to do homework. When you're done, you will make amends with _all _of your friends. After that, we'll leave you alone unless you decide to start acting silly again, in which case I'm throwing you into the harbor."

"Yessir." Yami grumbled, giving a sloppy salute and trying to hide a smile. "Since when do you have the authority to boss your Pharaoh around?"

"Since I got the ability to blast my Pharaoh through the wall. Now go." Yami went. Mahaddo shook his head and removed his armor. The Celtic Guardian followed suit.

"This place is a mess. Cleaning up is gonna take _forever_." The elf grumbled, glaring at a pile of laundry that had seen better days.

"I know. C'mon, we'd better get started."

Twenty minutes and a shower later, Yami re-reentered his bedroom to find both windows and the skylight open. On the floor by his closet, Mahaddo was sorting a pile of jeans and shirts. Most of them were getting thrown into a laundry basket. Celtic Guardian had everything off the desk and bookshelves and was busy dusting.

"Your homework is on the bed." Mahaddo said, pointing. The bed had been stripped, and there was a formidable stack of books and papers sitting on it.

"Er…thanks." Yami sat down on the bed, picked up his AP Chemistry book, and opened it.

"Mmhm. Don't mention it. Good grief, what did you _do_ to these jeans? Roll in a mud puddle?" Mahaddo held up a pair of jeans that were liberally coated in dried mud.

"No, Joey shoved me into the shallows by the lake in the park."

"Ah. And this?" Mahaddo pulled a shirt out of the laundry basket and waved it at Yami.

"Tea and a strawberry milkshake. 'nuff said."

"What about these?" Mahaddo displayed a pair of jeans and a shirt that were splattered with an unknown red substance.

"Spaghetti sauce. My fault." Mahaddo shook his head and returned to his task.

"You _really _need to dust this thing more often." Celtic Guardian grumbled.

"Why?" Yami wanted to know.

"I think the apple up here just winked at me. And while we're talking about dusting, the dust bunnies under your bed have become sentient beings. One of them tried to bite me when I was pulling stuff out from under there."

"_Right._"

"Don't believe me then. Why don't you get under there and get bitten yourself? See if I care."

"I can see the headlines now." Mahaddo teased. "_Game King found dustbunnied to death._ Authorities have taken several into custody, but suspect that the apple on top of the bookshelf may know the locations of several others._"_ Yami laughed. Celtic grinned at Mahaddo. Operation:** Cheer Up Atemu** was working.


	8. Explanations

'kay, here's the next one! A bit more is reavealed about Sam. Did I surprise ya? Enjoy! Tschus!

* * *

Yugi opened the door with his elbow, and shouldered his way through, trying to keep from dropping the armload of books he was carrying. The apartment smelled like onions and garlic; Samantha was already back and in the kitchen. "I'm home!"

"_There_ you are. I was starting to think you'd gone off and abandoned me. What took so long?"

"Story -time at the Library." Yugi apologized, kicking his tennis shoes off. "I was up to my waist in kindergarten kids."

"Of course. What are all the books for?"

"That AP US history class I ended up in. I know absolutely nothing about the Salem Witch Trials, and therefore have a ton of research to do."

"Ooh, funfun. _Very_ interesting subject. Lemme know if you need help."

"Thanks. Need help with dinner, or can I go figure out what I'm doing with this project?"

"I'm fine. But…I've got a question. There was some kind of explosion in your room about two hours ago. I didn't dare check it out, but I swear I heard someone talking in there. Do you know what-"

"Dark Magician!" Yugi yelped. He shoved his books onto the counter beside Sam and shot towards his room, leaving a very confused girl behind.

The Dark Magician was sitting on Yugi's bed, idly twirling his staff, when Yugi scrambled in. The boy gave a delighted yell and pounced, pinning his favorite Duel Monster to the bed.

"Hello to you too. I take it I've been missed?" the man chuckled, struggling to sit up under the weight of a happy Yugi on his chest.

"_Yes_! How did you get here? How did you know where to find me?"

"I'm not answering _anything_ until you get off my chest so I can breathe properly." Mahaddo grumbled. Yugi laughed and rolled off. Mahaddo made an exaggerated show of pressing his hands to his chest and gasping.

"Well?"

"What? Oh, right…your questions. You've got my card, remember? And you're Yugi. I'll always be able to find you somehow. I came through the Shadow Realm."

"Were you talking to yourself?"

"Pardon?"

"Sam says she heard someone talking in here."

"That would be my fault." The deep voice behind Yugi made him jump, but he turned the motion into a leap that sent him catapulting into the solid torso of the Celtic Guardian.

"Yugi? What's going- oh…um…hello." Sam peeked in the doorway, got a good look at Yugi's guests, and was rendered virtually speechless.

"Good evening." Mahaddo murmured. He bowed in Sam's direction, a decidedly odd contortion in a sitting man.

"Er…likewise. Who are you?" Mahaddo gave Yugi an amused and slightly teasing look.

"You haven't told her about us Yugi? I'm hurt." Yugi smiled sheepishly.

"Sam, this is Mahaddo, the Dark Magician. And this is the Celtic Guardian."

"Th-the…the _Duel Monsters_?"

"Yeah. Um…I think this is going to take some explaining. Can we…continue this in the living room, Sam? You might want to sit down."

Yugi led Sam into the living room. Dark Magician and Celtic Guardian followed. Sam sat down on the couch. Yugi took a deep breath.

"Okay…Sam, these guys aren't _just_ Duel Monsters. Mahaddo is over 5,000 years old, and he…served my…other self. Celtic is sort of the same, but from a different time and place, with no connection to me or anyone like me until I got his card."

"Other self?" Sam repeated, "I thought you said you had a brother."

"For practical purposes, most people think we're brothers." Yugi murmured. "But he's not. He…came from me, and _is_ me, sort of. We shared a body for awhile."

"_Shared_ a _body_? Yugi, you make this sound like it's magic."

"It is." Mahaddo said. Sam turned to stare at him. "It's Shadow Magic."

"You've lost me."

"There's this stuff called Shadow Magic. It's partly the power of will, part darkness, part magic, and the rest is strength. Usually, it stays in a place called the Shadow Realm, which is where these guys came from. 5,000 years ago, my…yami's father agreed to create these things called the Millennium Items. My Puzzle is one of them. The Items can…well, they sort of have the ability to see what good and evil _really _are. And each one has its own special power. Are you still following me?" Yugi explained.

"Will plus darkness plus magic plus strength equals Shadow Magic." Sam murmured, eyeing Mahaddo's staff. "Where do _you_ come into this?"

"I'll get to that. The Items are something like channels for Shadow Magic. My yami was a Pharaoh in Egypt, and Mahaddo was one of the six High Priests. Each priest wielded a different Item, and the Pharaoh had the Puzzle. There was a battle, and someone else got his hands on the Items. My yami managed to seal the Shadow Magic before the…bandit could wreak havoc, and something in the sealing caught him and some others. They were sealed into their Items, and stayed there until the right person came into possession of the Item. I got the Puzzle, and my yami came inside it."

"Oookaaaayyy."

"Mahaddo was one of the High Priests that served my yami when he was Pharaoh. He challenged the bandit, and died, but not before he fused his soul with his Spirit Monster, a kind of representation of the soul of another person, and became the Dark Magician. I got his card when I started dueling."

"And, he's here because…why?"

"I thought it might be a good idea to check up on him." Mahaddo murmured. "I didn't meant to make so much noise when I arrived."

"And your companion?" Sam asked, gesturing at the Celtic Guardian.

"You can't expect me to sit still for two hours without some kind of distraction." Mahaddo grumbled. "I didn't expect Yugi to be late."

"So, in short, my housemate has a connection with ancient Egyptian magic that results in Duel Monsters appearing in his room, and a dark alter-ego separate spirit thing, among other things. Wonderful. Are you two staying for dinner?"

"That doesn't bother you?" Yugi asked carefully, wondering what was going on.

"Nuh-uh. Well?"

"We'd love to." Celtic said. Sam smiled.

"Really?" Yugi questioned, edging behind Mahaddo.

"Yugi, I'm telekinetic, and my dad was psychic. I've seen stranger things. Besides…they're cute." She said, gesturing at Mahaddo and Celtic Guardian. The blonde blushed, and his companion looked pleased. Yugi blinked. _Telekinetic_. That explained why she could lift such heavy things.

"_Please_ tell me you mean puppies, kittens, and bunnies cute and not hot cute." Sam gave Yugi a smile that did _not_ reassure him in the least.

"I…don't think I'll tell you." She murmured, and headed for the kitchen.

"Sam, you can't like them that way, they're- Sam? Are you even listening to me? _Sam_!" Mahaddo laughed and patted Yugi on the head.

"Of course she can."

"I hate to break it to you, but you two live in two separate dimensions."

"So?" Celtic asked. "That didn't stop the Vampire Lord."

"_What_!?" Yugi squawked.

"He had a girlfriend in 20th century London. He had a little painting of her done…she was gorgeous." Yugi glared.

"You _can't_!"

"Why not?" Mahaddo teased. "She's certainly cute enough."

"You're at least 5,000 _years_ too old for her!"

"Not really. I was only 19 when I became the Dark Magician, and Ra knows we don't age." Mahaddo pointed out.

"Ditto. I was 20."

"You're _still_ older!"

"When you three are _quite_ finished discussing whether or not you are capable of pursuing me romantically, I need someone to set the table." Sam said, re-entering the living room with a wooden spoon in one hand. All three young men jumped, looking guilty. "Well?" She tapped the spoon against her palm.

"I'll help." Mahaddo offered. "But you'll have to show me where everything is."

"Of course. " Sam went back into the kitchen, followed by Mahaddo. He paused to stick his tongue out at Celtic and do a little victory dance. Yugi glared at him.

"Don't bother. They always dump him anyway." Celtic commented, clapping a hand on Yugi's shoulder. The mini duelist's knees buckled. "Oops. Sorry."


	9. Not another one!

Woohoo! Here it is, the next installment! happy dance I know, it's a bit late, but I was working on a few other things, as some of you probably know. Anyway, we get to meet another really interesting character today, and I promise that he'll be showing up again. My new goal is to get one of these turned out a month, minimum. We'll see how far I can get with THAT...

* * *

When Yugi woke up the next morning, the first thing he did was trip over the Celtic Guardian, who was sound asleep on his bedroom floor. It took Yugi a minute or two to remember why the elf was there. Ah, of course. He'd lost the wrestling match for the couch, which was where Mahaddo should to be. Thankfully, Sam hadn't seemed interested in doing much more than flirting, which was driving _both_ Duel Monsters absolutely mad.

Chuckling at the memory of his friends up to their elbows in soapsuds and dishes (they'd been put on dish-washing duty), Yugi meandered into the shower. When he got out, both Mahaddo and the Celtic Guardian were still sound asleep, but Sam was awake, sitting on the kitchen counter and waiting for the kettle to boil for tea. Yugi hopped up to sit beside her.

"Good morning." She murmured.

"Morning."

"The guys're still asleep?"

"Mmhm. And snoring. Celtic is, anyway." That got him a laugh. "Something wrong? You're a little spacey this morning."

"I'm fine. It's just…I'd started to believe that there was nobody else out there who knew _anything_ about magic of any kind, and then I meet you, and find out you have the not-so-dangerous equivalent of an evil twin, and two Duel Monsters pop out of nowhere, stay for dinner, flirt with me, and then spend the night. It's just…taking awhile to sink in."

"Is it a bad thing?" Yugi asked. The kettle whistled. Yugi watched, more delighted than anything else, as the kettle lifted up on its own and poured hot water into a pair of mugs waiting beside the stove. The kettle was set back down on the stove, and the mugs floated over to where they sat.

"No, I suppose not. I haven't been able to do anything like this in ages either. I assumed you'd call me a witch or something. Most people do."

"Most people are idiots." Yugi muttered, sipping carefully at the steaming tea. "They only believe what society in general believes, which is dumb, because society in general has an IQ of 3." Sam giggled. "It's true. Everybody believed that I-and Yami- was just a quiet, short kid with crazy hair and an obsession with gaming. They kept believing that until I-we- won a major duel with an audience, and then everyone was practically singing our praises."

"Isn't it a little weird? Talking about yourself as a plural, I mean."

"Not really. Before…well, all three of us got our-"

"_Three_? I thought there was only you and your yami. Just how many…how many other _yous_ were there?" Sam looked very confused.

"Right. But we were one of three light/dark pairs…although I'm not sure 'light' is an accurate way to describe one of them."

"Three pairs? Jeez, that's got to be a hassle to keep straight. Did the other two have Egyptian roots too?"

"Yes. One was the Tomb Robber that was the kicker for the whole Millennium Item fiasco, and the other is-and was- a Tomb Guardian. My yami's tomb, to be exact."

"Those are the yamis, right?"

"Yes and no. The Tomb Guardian was a plural in and of himself- their situation was an entirely different case. Bakura and Yami- my yami- are definitely the dark side of our pairs, but Marik and Malik are a different story."

"How so?"

"Well…Marik resented the traditions of the family he was born into, because he was the first son and therefore had to stay in the tomb until he passed the title of Tomb Guardian to _his_ son. Malik is best described as first a mental and then physical manifestation of Marik's combined emotions. More than anything, Marik wanted out. Malik got him out. They fought for the longest time, but we separated them, and Malik is just your average loveable nutcase now. But, the question is, is Malik the yami because he was created from anger and hatred, or is Marik the yami because he created such a dark being?"

"And the verdict?"

"Nothing official. We generally call Marik the hikari. It's just easier."

"Jeez." Sam muttered. Yugi gave her a lopsided grin and sipped at his tea. "There aren't any others, are there?"

"Not that we know of. There's only one other possible, because, of the seven Priests who had the Items, only one who was in possession of their Item when they died hasn't reincarnated or become a yami of some kind."

"Mmm."

Rather suddenly, a loud bang sounded in the living room. Sam and Yugi jumped. Then an unfamiliar voice began yelling.

"Where in the name of everything Egyptian have you _been_!? Do you have any _idea_ how _worried_ I've been? How worried _everyone_ has been? Nowhere to be found, no note, no duels going on…" Whoever was speaking was male, with a surprisingly light voice.

"What was that?" Sam asked slowly.

"I have absolutely no idea."

"Let's go check." Sam slid off the counter, and Yugi followed. Together, they tiptoed into the living room. Celtic and Mahaddo were there, looking guilty. Standing in front of them, hands on hips, was a fantastic blend of human and dragon. He was tall, well over six feet, with very long legs, a fact made quite obvious by the outfit he wore. It consisted of a thick silver chain around his waist, from which hung what could only be called a loincloth. It fell to his knees. A long tail flicked back and forth from underneath the cloth. The silver of the chain was repeated in his cuffs, anklets, and the thick collar around his neck, which contrasted nicely with his tan skin and sleek blonde hair. He wore no shirt, which allowed his wings free movement. The wings themselves were the same shade of blue as his loincloth and tail, and arced up over his head, sweeping nearly to his ankles. The claws on them looked wickedly sharp. Slowly, he turned to face Yugi and Sam. He bowed deeply.

"Ah. Good morning, Game King." He murmured. His eyes were so pale a blue that they looked white, and his teeth were too sharp to be human.

"Um…good morning. Who are you, what connection do you have to them, and why are you in this apartment?" Sam snapped.

"I apologize for my intrusion. I'm here because I was charged with tracking your guests down. I am one of the three Masters of another Deck, one which belongs to a friend and rival of his." He nodded to Yugi. "And I am Kenji, the male Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"You're the _what_?" Yugi yelped.

"Blue Eyes White Dragon. Is it so hard to believe? You _can _see my wings, can't you?" Kenji twisted around to make sure his wings were still in place.

"Yes, but…you've got a human-ish form…"

"I wouldn't fit in here otherwise." Kenji said, grinning in a way that was utterly irresistible. "Most places in this world aren't built to accommodate dragons." Sam started laughing.

"So…why are you here?" Yugi asked. Behind Kenji, Mahaddo and the Dark Magician shifted guiltily.

"Because these idiots vanished without any sort of warning, and we were going to have a meeting this morning. However, since they failed to present themselves, we had to postpone it and _I_ got chased out to track them. I hope you two are happy, because I've got burns on my back that _you_ are going to treat for me."

"Burns?" Samantha repeated. "From what?"

"Two very impatient sisters."

"Are they dragons too?"

"Yeah. One older, and one younger. You're looking at two of the most popular guys in the Decks, and my sisters are diehard fangirls. Between the Council itself and the girls who found out that they were missing with out leaving a hint to their whereabouts…well, let's just say that it was a mess. A mess that _I_ had to clean up. You two have two hours. Then you're coming back, or I'll go get the Harpies, and their Brother." Kenji vanished.

"Then you've got time for breakfast," Sam said cheerfully. "How do waffles sound?"


	10. Healing

Ah, and here we get back into the not-so-secret lives of Yami and company. They're doing better, I'm happy to say. Also, we see what Sam really looks like. If you can figure out what's going to be major later on, I'll do something specail for you! (hinthint) Sorry it took so long!

* * *

A week after the Dark Magician visited, Yami was back on speaking terms with his friends. Calling each of them had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do in his entire life, but having them back was worth it. Mahaddo made a quick appearance, assured everyone that Yugi was fine, and vanished again. This left Yami and the others to pick up the pieces of their lives.

Everything was awkward. Conversations were slow and patchy, as the participants danced around topics that concerned Yugi. A week later, while having a rather slow conversation about Duel Monsters, Kaiba popped up out of nowhere. He was gone almost as quickly, leaving an invitation. Mokuba wanted to bring everyone who had been at Battle City back together. Or, rather, everyone who'd been on the blimp, before Noah. Everyone looked at Yami, who had read it out loud.

"What?"

"Are we going?" Joey asked quietly.

"Since when have I made the decisions for _all_ of us?"

"For a long time…" Tristan said. "Since we knew you as you."

"Longer," Bakura murmured. "Leading is in your blood, Pharaoh. But don't take that as a compliment." It was just an offhand remark, just like the ones that the yamis had traded so often before Yugi had left, and it had the same effect now. Various members of their rough circle started laughing. Yami frowned, and drew himself up into what had become known as the 'I am superior, bow down to me' position.

"Just like thieving is in yours, Cradle Robber." This particular joke had been around for as long as the pair had been able to argue with each other. As Ryou had gotten his Item younger than Yugi, and the first relationship (if one could call it that) he'd had with Bakura being as abusive at it had been, Yami often jokingly accused his fellow spirit of being a cradle robber, if just for the effect it always had.

"I am _not_," Bakura snapped.

"Are _too_."

"How about we just say that you're both ancient idiots with sand for brains and leave it at that?" Malik suggested. Bakura and Yami rounded on him, teaming up, for the time being, to execute a joint attack on their fellow yami.

Hours later, Yami staggered in the back door of the Game Shop. He made it into the living room and collapsed on the couch with a weak laugh.

"Been busy?" Yami was too tired to jump, but he did seem quite surprised to see the Dark Magician leaning against the wall just to the right of the archway into the kitchen.

"When did you get there?" he asked.

"I've been here for almost half an hour. How you missed me is beyond comprehension. I'm _only_ almost seven feet of bright purple Duel Monster with a staff that glows in the dark."

"_Tired_," Yami explained.

"What were you up to?"

"The most exhausting game of Tackle Frisbee I've ever played."

Tackle Frisbee was a game Marik and Joey had come up with, and Duke had helped iron out the rules. It was more or less a combination of football, Frisbee, and tag. The idea was to knock out as many of the opposing players as possible without letting the Frisbee touch the ground or be captured by the other team. Roughly two thirds of a team was allowed to touch the Frisbee; the other third was in charge of preventing capture by the other team. They tackled anyone who got in the way. Points were awarded for goals and taking out all of the rival Frisbee catchers, and taken away for various penalties. Players could get back into the game by paying points, or by certain catches, throws, or other moves that their teammates had to do. It was a ridiculous game, but it was theirs and they loved playing it.

"I see. Then you're getting along again? How did that come about?" Mahaddo joined Yami on the couch, arranging his lanky frame over ever bit of space not already occupied.

"I…I don't really know. Everything was awkward, just like it's been all week, and then Bakura said something, and it was like everything was normal. We messed around, and talked, and went to the park…it was so strange."

"You connected," Mahaddo explained with a vague wave of his hand. "You've been together for so long and through such situations that you're all attuned to each other. You were subconsciously aware that it was time to get it together and go on with your lives, so you found a way to do so." He arched backwards over the arm of the couch, then sat straight again and grinned at Yami. "In return for that bit of free info, I expect you to teach me how to play Tackle Frisbee. I want to take it home."

Meanwhile, in Sacramento…

Sam was sitting on the kitchen counter with a sketchpad in her lap, comparing the drawing on it to the view through the open window over the sink. In the living room, Yugi pretended to channel-surf and appraised her appearance. It hadn't really mattered when they'd met, nor during the rocky beginnings of their life here, but one of his fellow class-mates had asked if they were dating, and, if not, was he okay with her having a boyfriend? When Yugi had questioned the motive behind this query, the guy had pointed out that Sam was, quote, 'a hottie'.

He was right, when Yugi thought about it. Sam was tall (taller than him, though that wasn't saying much) and lean, with incredibly long legs and a nice figure. She was…balanced, he supposed. Not small and shy like Serenity, wildly unbalanced like Tea, or sensuous and incredibly curvy like Mai had been. Her hair was originally black, but was currently a vibrant shade of sapphire blue. Today it was braided and wound into a wispy bun, but when it was loose, it hung just over halfway to her waist in thick waves that bordered on curls. He liked her eyes best, because they were expressive, friendly, and the strangest shade of turquoise. All in all, she was quite attractive, but he didn't think he'd ever think of her _that_ way. Sam was his friend, roommate, and support. She was not his girlfriend.

Sam turned for a moment, and caught his eye. "Enjoying the view?" she teased, sliding off the counter and padding into the living room.

"Just thinking."

"What about?"

"Someone at school wanted to know if I would mind if he asked you out, and said you were hot."

"And you were thinking about this why?"

"I'd never thought about it before."

"Okaaaayyy…" Sam eyed Yugi for a minute, probably deciding whether she should hit him or just ignore it. She chose to ignore it. "Does this look like our view?" she asked, shoving her sketchpad into Yugi's lap. He flipped it open and found a passable drawing of the view in question.

"Sure. Why?"

"I don't like it. I hate landscapes. I've never been any good at them." Yugi laughed and flipped another couple of pages. There were several blanks, and then half a dozen that were covered in clothing designs.

"These look good," he offered. Sam snatched the book form him and shut it. "What?"

"Don't look at those. They suck."

"I like them. You should do more detail into them; you could really have something there."

"You're just being nice."

"No, really. I like them. They're better than the landscape." Sam laughed.

"That's not saying much, but thanks anyway."

"Sure."

For the next couple of days, Yugi pestered Sam about her drawings almost constantly. Finally, she agreed to get a new sketchpad for the sole purpose of working on them. Feeling triumphant, Yugi focused on school until Sam pushed him to try out for track in the spring. He agreed, thinking nothing of it.


	11. SpringSummer 2006

God, it's been forever. I am SO sorry. I've been caught up in finals, and plot-bunnies, and blocks, and who knows what else. Here is a very late and unfortunetly short chapter, and I'll try to write more soon._

* * *

_

_Sophomore year (2005-2006)_

Sam sat up high on the bleachers, watching track practice. Yugi was down there with at least two-dozen others, stretching. Training had begun two weeks before, and Yugi hadn't decided how he felt about it. It was obvious, however, that he was certainly getting _something_ out of it; he was making friends. Zeke and Lexi, a pair of twins in the same grade, were also on the team and they were closet Duel Monsters enthusiasts.

Sam's new sketchpad was more than half full already, containing clothing designs in a myriad of styles. Yugi's favorites had been carefully colored in with colored pencils, but the rest remained inked pencil sketches. Sam highly doubted that anything would actually come of her drawings, but having Yugi join track had been a stroke of sheer genius.

_April_ _2006_

Again, Sam was up in the bleachers, sketching warm-up clothes that were actually functional as well as fashionable. Down on the field, Yugi stretched with the rest of the team. From up here, Sam could see the bare skin at his ankles, wrists, and between his shirt and pants. He'd hit a growth spurt in late February, and it was _really_ starting to show. They'd planned for shopping this weekend, an entire day for just the two of them. Sam wanted to go to Golden Gate Park as well, to see the new flowers.

/Saturday/

Sam discovered that getting Yugi to actually try things on required an iron will, lungs of steel, a mountain of patience, and an inhuman grip.

"You do realize that _this_ is why every piece of clothing you own is too short for you, right?"

"What does my not wanting to try these on have to do with the fact that I'm getting taller?"

"You don't try anything on…_ever_. It's a miracle _anything_ fits you at all." Yugi shrugged and sidestepped behind a rack of jeans when Sam tried to grab him.

"Then I'm lucky," Yugi suggested.

"Dumb luck, maybe. Now get over here before I have to drag you." The trouble with Yugi being in track was that he was getting faster. Sam sighed, carefully placed the hangars she'd been carrying on a chair, and took off after Yugi. He very nearly escaped, but she managed to surprise him by hiding behind a freestanding shelf of polo shirts and pounced. Pinning Yugi's arms to his sides, she marched him over to the dressing rooms and shoved him into one. She selected a pair of cargo-pants from a nearby rack and tossed them over the door. "Here, try these on. I'll be back."

Several hours, several minor arguments, and a number of different stores later, Sam and Yugi were pulling into an open space near the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park.

They didn't go to the Gardens, choosing the Botanical Gardens instead. These were much larger and offered more space.

"So…still unsure about Track?" Sam asked.

"No. It's really fun. I'm glad you made me try out." Yugi paused to skip a rock across a little pond. "I still can't believe that I'm growing, though."

"You're telling me."

"_Hey_!"

_April, 2006, Domino_

"You're sure about this?" Bakura asked, leaning over Yami's shoulder and eyeing the class list.

"_Yes_," Yami said fiercely.

"Why?"

"I need it. I'm a sorry mess, and most of the classes I'm in are painfully easy. I intend to fix both."

"By smothering yourself in a mountain of homework?" Malik asked, peering over Yami's other shoulder. He whistled. "Wow. Talk about potential workload. You're gonna sit down at your desk and never get up again."

"This is about _discipline_," Yami insisted. "And since I'm not doing major duels any more, I'll have the time. Care to join me?"

"I'll do the History with you," Bakura offered, making it sound as if he was volunteering to test an electric chair. "You've never had a head for dates anyway."

"Calculus for me," Malik said. Both Yami and Bakura stared at him. "What? I like math. It makes more sense than anything else."

"And here I thought I finally knew everything about you," Bakura sighed. "Lessee…we'll all do AP Lit."

"Who put you in charge?" Malik sniffed.

"Me," Bakura said airily. "Does that suit you, oh mighty Pharaoh?"

"Sounds good."

_May, 2006, San Francisco_

"No."

"C'mon!"

"_No_."

"_Saaaaaammyyyyy_!"

"I said no."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why not?"

"Yugi, the only person allowed to see them is you. Agreeing to work on them separately was one thing; entering them is ridiculous."

"Is not. They're really good." Sam sighed. She was standing on a chair with her sketchpad held over her head where Yugi couldn't reach it.

"You're biased," she insisted.

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"You don't have any proof," Yugi pointed out.

"Sure I do." Yugi snorted. "Really."

"And it is…what?"

"You _live_ with me. A little flattery is a given."

"We could scan a couple and send them to Kingside." Yugi was referring to their unknown benefactor, KingSideKnight.

"Oh, _hell_ no!"

Yugi sighed. This was going to be harder than he'd thought.

_June 2006_

_Kingside,_

_Thanks for the tip, and for sending her to that camp. She really does need it. I don't get why you're having me take these classes though; I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself._

_Awaygame,_

_My pleasure. As for you, the discipline will be good even if you get nothing else out of it. I considered Tai chi, but it seemed a little too relaxed for someone as energetic as yourself. If at all possible, I'd like to see some of the works she completes at camp._

_Kingside,_

_Fat chance. She won't let anyone except me see any of her stuff. Sorry. Where did you get the idea that yoga was any more energetic that Tai chi?_

_Awaygame,_

_It wasn't for you. Those disks were for her._

_Kingside,_

_Right._

_July 2006, Domino_

"You're crazy."

"I'm not."

"You didn't tell me you'd failed Trig."

"I…fell behind after Yugi left, and I couldn't get my grades back up in time."

"No kidding," Ryou muttered. "So you're really going to take a class at the college?"

"Yeah. For the rest of the summer, four days a week. Help me?"

"Only because Malik wants you to be in Calculus with him when school starts again. Honestly, Yami, do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?"

"No, but I can guess."

"Shoot, then."

"Hot water."

"Quite right."


	12. August06 to April07

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'M SORRY! I've been stuck on this for ages, and then I lost the file, and I've been caught up in other things and...well...I've been uninspired. I'm so sory for how long this has taken. To those of you who've been randomly appearing and reviewing, thank you.

* * *

August 2006 

"_Yugi Mouto!_"

"Yeeeeess?"

"You have thirty seconds to explain this before I throw you out the window!" Yugi ducked behind the couch. Sam marched in, waving her old sketchpad. "_What_ was this doing in your room?"

"I like your work," Yugi said vaguely, backing away from her.

"Uh-_huh._ Right. _Why_?" Sam corned Yugi against the kitchen counter and whacked him on the head with the pad.

"Because you need to hear how good you are from someone you can't blame for flattery, and I was trying to think of how to show them, and who to show them to," Yugi said quickly. He ducked. "Please don't kill me."

Sam dropped the notebook.

"You were going to…who? Who did you think would want to…I." Yugi slid out from under Sam's arm.

"Who else? Kingside wants to see them. Do you mind?"

"But- Yugi, they aren't anything special. They're just doodles."

"Really _good_ doodles. Let me scan a few and send them to him."

"Okay."

August 2006, Domino City 

"Mokuba. Come take a look at these."

"What?"

"These designs." Mokuba leaned around Seto's shoulder and looked at the screen.

"Who does these? Are they available?" he asked at once.

"Not yet. But…they will be, I think."

"Who did them, Seto?"

"Sam."

"The girl Yugi's with?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

December 2006 

The e-mail arrived in the middle of the night. Yugi was up, unable to sleep with a case of finals-anxiety.

_Awaygame,_

_Tell Sam I want her address. We need to talk. All three of us. Reply ASAP._

Yugi fired off a response at once.

_KingsideKnight,_

_We're in the middle of finals. I'll give you her e-mail, but give us 'til the 22__nd__. Then we'll meet you on Messenger at 7:30pm our time._

December 22, 2006 

**KSK**: Are you two there?

**AG**: Present and accounted for

**SS**: Ditto

**KSK**: Good. I got your sketches.

**SS**: Oh God. What's wrong with them?

**KSK**: Nothing is wrong. Did you use AG as a model?

**AG**: She did. Why?

**KSK**: I want to have those designs produced

**SS**: That's not funny

**AG**: Do you mean that?

**KSK**: I am dead serious. Those sketches were incredible. I want to see them manufactured. And I want you two to head the line

**AG**: I told you that I don't want publicity

**SS**: I agree

**KSK**: Stay in the shadows as long as you need to. When the time comes, you can present yourselves as the heads. What do you say?

**AG**: Hold on a minute

Yugi leaned around the partition to Sam's computer and looked at her.

"Well?" he asked. "They're your drawings, so you get to make the call."

"I- oh, Yugi, does he mean it? I mean, _really_ mean it? Could I- could we really do it?"

"I'll bet we can," Yugi said firmly.

"What if they're not popular?"

"They will be."

AG: Yes! SS: Yes! 

**KSK**: Alright. I'll have a P.O. Box set up for you so I can mail you information and the like. You'll be under the pseudonym of Samuel Jenkins

AG: Sounds good 

**SS**: Thank you

**KSK**: I'll be in touch

_KingSideKnight is no longer online._

The P.O. Box turned out to be for more than just business; Christmas gifts arrived a little late, but got there. Yugi wondered just who was doing this, come up with nothing, and shrugged it off.

January 3, 2007 Domino City

"I'm baaaack!"

"Dinner will be ready soon, and if you're tracking mud onto my carpet, you're not getting any."

Bakura kicked his boots off and strolled into the kitchen.

"What is it?"

"A new recipe. Move. You're in the way."

Obedient for a change, Bakura hopped onto an unused bit of counter and sat watching Ryou bustle around the kitchen.

"Ryou?"

"Mmm?"

"When…after everything happened, did anyone ask Kaiba if he knew anything?"

"No, I don't think so. Mokuba went over to comfort Marik –you know how attached he was- but Seto never said anything, and no one asked." Ryou stirred the contents of a pot absently. "Why do you ask?"

"He has ways of finding people that aren't as noticeable as ours."

Ryou sighed.

"Bakura, please, give it up. We know he's safe; that's enough for me. Our lives have finally come back into a semblance of normalcy, and I don't want to see it all tumble down at the merest though that we _might_ be able to locate him."

"But-"

"Honestly, you're like a dog with a bone. Drop it. If he chooses to came back, then he will, and not before then. Besides…do _you_ want to confront Seto? He's even more distant now then he used to be."

Bakura sighed heavily and slumped back against the wall. "I guess you're right. It just occurred to me…Yami was talking about him again."

Ryou looked up from draining pasta.

"He was?"

Bakura nodded.

"He tends to, when things remind him. Yugi adored winter and New Year's, remember?" Ryou nodded fondly. "Yami was talking about that. And I thought about what it must be like."

"What _what_ must be like?"

"Not having your light. You're like another limb, I guess."

"Gee, thanks."

"I meant that in a good way. Malik says that he's the same way with Marik, so I'm assuming that Yami was the same way with Yugi. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose something that close."

Ryou stirred a lemon sauce with chicken in it into the pasta and regarded Bakura thoughtfully.

"Neither can I," he admitted. "But I don't plan on going anywhere. Now get down. Dinner's ready and your butt is in the way."

February 2007

"Sam! I'm hoooooome!"

"And you're laaaaaaate!"

"I know, but I've got a good reason."

"Do you, now?" Sam asked, not looking up from her homework.

"Yep. A package came today. From Kingside."

Sam froze.

"A…package?"

"Mmhm. A big one."

"_Ohmigod_. The sample pieces." Sam put her pen down and covered her eyes. "Open it."

"It's your package, Sam, don't you want t-"

"I can't look. You do it."

"_Sam_, don't be silly."

"I am _not_ being silly. I just can't do it. _Please_, Yugi."

Yugi sighed and got the scissors from their drawer in the kitchen.

"Okay."

He cut through the tape and opened the box. Inside, a letter waited.

_These are the models for the first designs you sent me. I thought you might like to see the finished product and have a chance to have input. If there is something that needs changing, let me know._

_-KingsideKnight_

Under the box was a layer of tissue paper. Yugi lifted it to find a folded black thing that he didn't quite recognize. He pulled it out and shook it loose. It was a wrap-around dress, one that was belted in at the waist with a heavy buckle of brushed metal. Similar buckles marked pockets. Looking at it, he had the feeling that the woman wearing it would look almost as though she were wearing a very stylish trench coat.

"I remember this one," he murmured. "You had it in a different color before, but…wow. I can't believe I'm holding this."

"May I?" Sam asked, reaching for the dress. Yugi handed it to her, and she held it up, checking every detail. "It's…"

"Perfect?"

"Yeah."

Yugi pulled the next piece from the box. This one was a sleeveless shirt, black again, with four looped chains forming a sort of sleeve on either side.

"These are even better than I'd imagined," he said quietly, holding the shirt up against Sam to check the cut. "I think this'll fit you."

"And this looks like your size," Sam said, reaching past Yugi to get the next sample out. It was a recreated poet's shirt, one tailored to fit the torso properly. Romantic, not floofy. "These too."

She held up a pair of baggy chain pants designed to look ripped and torn while remaining entirely whole.

"Yeah, they do."

Yugi took the pants and examined them happily.

"Not as bad as you thought, huh?"

Sam smiled sheepishly.

"Not at all. All the fuss over nothing, I guess."

April 2007

"Wow, Seto, That looks great."

Seto looked up from the ad he was reviewing. It featured Sam's work, the first bid to get the designs onto the market.

"Thank you. Do you think it'll hit with the general public?"

"If you're aiming at people around your age? Definitely."

Seto smiled. This was not at all what he'd had in mind when he'd sent that first letter to Yugi, but the unexpected turn things had taken was both enjoyable and intriguing; he was determined to see it to the very end. He had no idea where it was going to go, but, with Yugi involved, it was sure to be good.


End file.
